Gaza AI-targeting documentary NAZA sparks political backlash in Israel, opens in 500 French cinemas

NAZA, a documentary investigating how artificial intelligence has been used in Israeli military targeting decisions during the war in Gaza, has become one of the most contested films of 2026. Directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, with production support from The Guardian, it won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2026 and received what festival observers called the longest standing ovation in the event's history, lasting roughly 24 to 25 minutes, according to The National and Al Jazeera.

What the film documents

The 80-minute film is built from testimony by 24 Israeli military and intelligence sources, interviewed over nearly three years on rooftops in Tel Aviv, shown only in silhouette with distorted voices to protect their identities, Al Jazeera and franceinfo report. Its title, an acronym for the Hebrew term 'Nezek Agavi,' is translated by franceinfo as referring to anticipated or collateral civilian casualties factored into strike planning.

According to franceinfo and Al Jazeera, interviewees describe an AI-assisted system called Lavender, which drew on surveillance of Gaza's telecommunications network — phone calls, movements and contacts — to help generate lists of potential targets. The National reports that one interviewee described the process as operating at an industrial scale and speed, comparable to a factory. The American Jewish Committee (AJC), summarizing the film's claims, says it also names a second system, Habsora, and alleges that anticipated civilian casualties were factored into strike decisions.

Franceinfo reports that witnesses quoted in the film cited a margin of error of about 15% for Lavender. AJC's summary of the documentary states that the film itself does not give a specific error rate or a total count of processed targets.

Israeli government reaction

The film has not had a theatrical release in Israel but still provoked an intense political reaction there. Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar harshly criticized the documentary and accused its directors of treason, according to Democracy Now and Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to pursue legislation that would allow revoking citizenship from Israelis who, in the government's characterization, defame Israeli soldiers.

Franceinfo reports that right-wing groups gathered outside the family home of co-director Rachel Szor and made threats, and that both directors have expressed concern about their safety and possible legal consequences if they return to Israel.

The military's rebuttal

The Israel Defense Forces have disputed the film's central claims. According to AJC's summary of the IDF's response, the military states that no artificial intelligence system has ever independently selected strike targets within the IDF, and that the documentary contains significant factual errors, including by presenting the intelligence-gathering stage of targeting without describing subsequent oversight steps. The IDF specifically denied the allegation that it has ever planned, approved or carried out a strike in Gaza expected to kill 500 or more civilians, AJC reports.

AJC also notes that, under international law, civilian casualties alone do not establish that a strike was unlawful; assessing legality requires examining individual strikes against principles of distinction, proportionality and necessity, independent of whether AI tools were involved.

Distribution: cinemas now, free streaming in November

In France, the film was released on October 12-13, 2026, in 500 cinemas under what franceinfo describes as an exceptional distribution authorization, distributed by MK2. Al Jazeera reports the film is premiering in more than 50 countries, with runs following in the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada after an earlier screening at the New York Film Festival in September. Both Al Jazeera and franceinfo report that the film will become available to watch for free online via The Guardian's platform starting in November.

Why it matters for AI and warfare

The dispute over NAZA sits at the center of a broader debate about how militaries use machine-learning systems to process surveillance data at speed and scale, and what human oversight remains in approving lethal strikes. The film's backers argue firsthand testimony from military insiders exposes how such systems functioned in practice; the IDF argues the film omits safeguards and misstates how targeting decisions are actually made. Neither account has been independently adjudicated by a court or an outside investigative body, according to the sources reviewed for this article.